The Fish House: a restaurant with a twist
The Fish House does exactly what it says on the tin, or in today’s world, the tin is social media. A contemporary fish restaurant is championing locally sourced seafood where possible, with a cooking style that has just enough of a twist to make the food intriguing. Don’t expect your average Lebanese-style fish tavern, even though, quite cleverly, the spin in the cuisine infuses Middle Eastern ingredients.
The Fish House with waterfront views and terraced seating is located at Intercontinental Dubai Festival City, replacing Bistro Madeleine. The transformation from a rustic bistro to a spacious restaurant with clean lines, and pops of bright blue, green and yellow, is well considered – making it a good choice for a leisurely weekend lunch. I am not sure how this design would fare in the evening though. With only half a dozen occupied tables, there is still a welcoming and refreshing vibe.
Instead of bread, we are served some freshly fried whitebait perched in a luscious, slightly spiced tahini remoulade. It’s missing some lemon, so I resort to slicing the lemons that are on the table for presentation purposes, I presume. I love the limited carb approach, and I love that it is served soon after seating, which gives us time to nibble, whilst perusing the menu.
Selecting starters is easy, because I don’t want to spend a small fortune on the raw seafood towers. A so-called prawn cocktail interestingly includes king crab as well – and arrives presented on a wooden chopping board. The actual prawn cocktail is served in small glass bowl with enough space to wrap the ingredients in a delectable cocktail sauce. On the other hand, the king crab is tempura fried and sliced, with the option of dipping it first in a similar cocktail sauce, followed by more tempura crumbs. Sounds a little confusing, but the differing textures work wonderfully. I do have to prompt the waitress for an explanation on how this dish should be eaten, which she should have volunteered.
The kibbeh nayeh substitutes meat with fish – in this case kingfish, salmon and tuna – however the proportion of fish mixed with the bulgur wheat is inconsistent, with some quenelles tasting fishier than others. I ask for some bread to scoop it up (and am now craving carbs) but I am served shop-bought Arabic pitta – fresh yes, but for a restaurant in a five star hotel, I expect bread to be baked in-house.
For main courses, we are torn between ordering fish from the chilled display with a choice of cooking style, sauces and sides; a selection of classics and casseroles; or the Fish House special for two with locally sourced farmed sea bass or hammour baked in rock salt and carved table-side. We opt for the seabass which is sourced from a sustainable Fish Farm in Jebel Ali. Wheeled in on chic custom-built trolleys, our waitress expertly and swiftly fillets the fish. She does the same for every table in the house – clearly the most popular dish on the menu. The meat is so soft, flavoursome and cooked just enough to keep it moist. An absolutely huge portion, enough to easily feed three – don’t order starters if you select this option. The fish is accompanied by an array of sides and condiments prettily presented in copper bowls. The Shiraz salad is intensely flavoured with saffron. A harissa-spiced potato salad has me polishing off the quail eggs, but the potato is under-cooked. The saffron rice is sprinkled with walnuts. A tahini remoulade, a mango salsa and my favourite, an addictive Moroccan chermoula sauce, all make delicious dips for the fish. But even between two, we cannot finish them all.
Even the attraction of a ‘grandmas apple pie’, which I spot on the menu at the start, cannot overrule my bursting stomach. It feeds up to four people, so would have been a terrible waste – something I am very conscious of minimising, even though a restaurant review should include desserts. I leave it that we might return for the pie after our shopping spree – but we are still full even then. Along with a cheesecake, a double-fudge brownie, and a table dessert a la Alinea, the selection is compelling and unusual for a fish restaurant. I am assured by a follower on social media that the apple pie is worth returning for.
As for drinks, a Garden Mary mocktail is a welcome twist on a Virgin Mary with wasabi-spiced carrot juice presented in a Morroccan ras el hanout spiced rimmed glass, along with celery stalks and sliced cucumber. The beer and wine selection is well priced.
Whilst our waitress is sweet and knowledgeable, she misinterprets a room temperature still and cold sparkling water order, serving these in reverse. Service is a little too insistent at the start – however, interestingly, I am recognised half way through (after the starters are served), and the attention eases off to a more natural pace. Having said that, both the restaurant and bar manager then pop by to check on the meal, and my opinion of the mocktail. I wonder if this would have happened otherwise.
The AED235 per person price point based on three courses without booze is perfectly acceptable, and one that will have me returning for second helpings (apple pie – I will be back), even though The Fish House sits on the other side of the creek for me. Beat the traffic and go for a weekend lunch. Rather than just offer us a traditional fish restaurant, The Fish House has taken a gamble by upping the ante with a compelling menu that, in most cases, is well executed. Top marks for sourcing local where possible, as well as a refreshing décor and a pleasant atmosphere. The service needs brushing up a little though, so here’s to three and a half out of five FooDiva knives.
Do you like your fish restaurants traditional or with a twist?
A bientôt.
FooDiva. x
No comments yet